The weather didn't cooperate many times, but we finally got all the pictures he wanted. This first photo is by far my favorite of all the poses/locations/outfits. Joe was so patient with me as we drove and traipsed all over, hunting for the best light and moving around to get a decent background. He was a total trooper. 

I haven't done many sports portraits yet, and it was fun to work with Joe, who is a catcher. I like to arrange and design, so working with all the equipment was a new aspect that I thoroughly enjoyed.
 
Joe has played baseball since he was nine years old, but has only been catching for about four or five years. He wants to be a Major League catcher one day. It's a big dream and he's competing for one of thirty spots for starting catcher.

A fun behind-the-scenes tidbit: the pictures in his uniform and with his gear, the ground was a bit moist, so we planned exactly where we wanted things to make his time kneeling as short as possible. It also had to be the last pose, because his knee got a bit muddy. These are the little things you have to think of that are so easy to overlook.

Joe, congratulations on your graduation. May God bless you as you move on to other things!!! Baseball is 100% mental and 100% physical, but I think you have what it takes to make the big leagues if you buckle down and pour everything into it.

I got my first journal from my grandmother.
 
It had dolphins on the front and I loved it.
 
That first book lasted me four years, because I hardly wrote in it the first three. As bad as my handwriting and spelling were when I was young, I love reading my old journals. I have six completed books that span pretty much my whole remembered life and almost my whole homeschooling journey.
 
I am all about memories. I can hardly throw a photograph away. On my corkboard, I have a photo of my brother's baseball team, only some of the team is cut off, because I messed up the printing. He got a new one, with everyone, but I couldn't throw the photo away! Some of my most prized possessions are my scrapbooks, photo albums, journals, letters, and memory boxes. These are the things that are irreplaceable.
 
When I look back through these things, I see the life that shaped me. I see the victories and heartbreak. I read my old journals and I laugh and cry. I see God at work. I remember.
 
This is a huge factor that shapes my photography business; a large part of my why. Why I do what I do and why I love it. A photograph is only a snapshot of a moment, but it triggers so many memories of an event or an experience. You might have forgotten about something, but when you see a photograph of it, suddenly you remember. You can look at old photos with friends and family and share the memories and laughter. Everyone connects to photos. You can see so much emotion in a single frame, if the photographer is good at what they do. (Hopefully I am!)
 
Memories are a big deal to me. I save them up to the extent that I might go a bit overboard :) My granddad was really into genealogy, so maybe my obsession with personal history is from him. I want to remember and share my life with my kids and grandkids one day. That's my goal for your photographs as well. To create precious images that freeze a moment in time so you can look back on and remember.   

It's conflicting. Some photographers tell you to never put your camera down; to always have it with you. Others say, take a few shots, but then be present in the moment. Who's right?

I don't know that there is one right answer, but as a new photographer, I'm trying to figure our my balance. I honestly don't take my camera with me enough places probably.
 
There is a fine line, I think, between documenting enough and living in the moment. Take baseball for an example. When I'm photographing a game, I'm not really experiencing the game. I'm only seeing one tiny part. So I try to only photograph part of the game, and watch closely to the rest.
 
Growing up, I didn't develop the mentality that so many people have to photograph and post online everything. I didn't get an iPod until I bought my own in high school. I just got on Instagram last year; it's my first social media account. Because of these things, it's not second nature to just document everything. On the other hand, when I do have my camera on vacation or at an event, I have to make a conscience choice to NOT stay behind the lens the whole time. It's so tempting to think, "I'll likely never be here again, I've got to get a ton of photographs so I'll remember," but the danger is that you effectively miss out on your vacation or event by always having your camera out.
 
Like so many things in life, it's a delicate balance. There are so many things that only happen once and we want to capture them for memory's sake. But what if the photo becomes the ONLY memory?
 
Everyone is different. Some people won't have a problem putting down the camera. On the contrary, their problem will be picking it up. For others, the opposite will be the issue. Very few, if any, people will naturally strike a good balance. I believe that balance is something we have to work at to achieve.
 
I encourage you to document your life, your kids, your vacations. At the same time, I encourage you to LIVE those moments, because you don't want to miss the moment in photographing the moment.